The gardening hobby is taking root across America, and Siskiyou County is following suit.

One report stated that the U.S. has 78 million gardening households. More than half of those had a vegetable garden last year.

Siskiyou County falls in line, and many homes are readying seeds and planning gardens for the upcoming season.

Peggy Heide, president of the Yreka Garden Club, volunteers and plot renters, are currently watching their seeds sprouting in the greenhouse.

Heide said she enjoys being connected with what is around her and what is growing.

“It’s being next to nature and watching the cycle,” she said about the calming affects of gardening.

Heide said she also enjoys the fresh food aspect.

“Vegetables are picked at top maturity, rather than commercially before they are even ripe. That flavor cannot be found in stores,” said Heide.

Yreka resident John Nixon. “My generation has grown up appreciating good food,” he said.

Nixon said that he and his wife also plant crops they can’t find locally with heirloom tomatoes being top on his list.

Nixon said he believes the emphasis on farm-to-table has played a large role in the increase of food gardening.

Yreka resident Jessica Mahaffey and her daughter, Angel, have been gardening together for two years. “I’m big into organic,” said Jessica Mahaffey.

Angel helps her mother plant seeds and said she loves everything about gardening.

Jessica Mahaffey said she feels it is a good educational tool for her daughter. “It’s fun to do with your child, and it’s stress-relieving,” she said.

Heide agreed that using gardening as a learning tool could be beneficial for getting this generation of children out of the house.

In addition, 48 percent of people in a 2009 study by the NGA, believed that teaching kids about gardening is good for the environment and 42 percent thought gardening was a good way to involve children in experiential learning.

Old or young, the benefits differ for everyone and everyone gardens differently, said Heide, but her hope is that gardening will bring people together.